McKenzie: Rethinking religion, politics

An odd thing happened in this year’s presidential election: Religion didn’t play a major role.

Sure, there was a swirl of debate about religious freedom, mostly about the Obama administration requiring Catholic institutions to provide contraceptive coverage. And Mitt Romney’s faith drew coverage, allowing Mormons to debut nationally the way evangelicals did with Jimmy Carter in 1976.

But religion largely wasn’t on stage like it has been in recent elections. There was little courting of high-profile pastors such as Rick Warren, Jim Wallis and John Hagee. Remember how Warren of California’s Saddleback Church actually hosted a John McCain/Barack Obama forum in 2008?

And issues such as gay marriage, abortion and Islamic extremism didn’t drive the debate. At least not like how the 2004 Bush campaign used gay marriage to win voters in swing states like Ohio. Or how Obama courted young evangelicals in 2008, hoping to winnow down the margin of evangelicals voting Republican.

This shift is a good thing since some voters are getting worn out with all the God talk.

In March, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a survey that showed nearly 40 percent of Americans thought this year’s White House hopefuls were talking too much about God. That was the highest percentage in a decade, up from only 12 percent who thought the candidates were invoking God too much in 2001.

Taking a step back from God and politics could help voters sort out the natural relationship between religion and politics. These forces always will intersect. They each are about compassion, stewardship and freedom.

But, as the Pew survey revealed, the God talk has gotten a bit much. So has the manipulation of the religious marketplace by politicians to rev up voters. Religion and politics belong together, but candidates need to reconsider how they talk about the intersection.